IN OTHER WORDS: GROUP EXHIBITION AT MARIN MOCA

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of visiting the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (MarinMOCA) in San Rafael, California. Dedicated to showcasing contemporary art and supporting artistic expression, MarinMOCA presents exhibitions featuring local, national, and international artists. The museum also offers educational programming and opportunities for the community to engage with contemporary art.

Currently on view is In Other Words, a group exhibition curated by San Rafael-based artist Tucker Nichols. Bringing together artists including Nathan Cordero, Rose D’Amato, Isaac Tin Wei Lin, Jeffrey Sincich, Xylor Jane, and Ed Ruscha, the exhibition explores the relationship between language and visual art.

Through painting, sculpture, signage, and site-specific installations, the participating artists examine the many ways words, symbols, and written communication shape our everyday experiences. With approaches ranging from playful and humorous to abstract and thought-provoking, the exhibition offers a fascinating look at how language can extend beyond its conventional forms.

San Francisco-based artist Rose D’Amato has a large-scale wall painting near the museum’s entrance, extending nearly to the top of its impressively high ceilings. The museum itself is a beautiful space, with exposed brick, large windows, and mid-century architectural details that we really appreciated. D’Amato’s work fits perfectly within the scale of the building.

A second-generation sign painter and pinstriper, D’Amato draws inspiration from vintage commercial signage, automotive culture, and traditional hand-painted advertisements. Her work incorporates lettering, layered imagery, and weathered textures that reference the visual history of San Francisco’s neighborhoods and businesses. This particular piece combines overlapping automotive advertisements, bold typography, and faded colors, highlighting her approach to preserving and reinterpreting traditional sign painting.

Philadelphia-based artist Isaac Tin Wei Lin works across painting, drawing, printmaking, and installation. His work combines vibrant colors, abstract forms, and intricate patterns that often resemble written language. Drawing inspiration from nature, graffiti, and traditional lettering, Lin creates compositions that explore the relationship between symbols and abstraction. This particular work features an elaborate arrangement of interlocking green-and-black forms, highlighting his distinctive approach to mark-making and visual language.

We’ve admired the work of San Francisco-based artist Jeffrey Sincich for quite some time and have enjoyed seeing his distinctive lettering and signage throughout the city over the years. With a background in traditional sign painting, Sincich combines typography, quilting, and found materials to recreate familiar elements of everyday urban life. His attention to detail and craftsmanship are incredible, and his work reflects a genuine appreciation for the visual character of San Francisco.

Several of his pieces are featured in the exhibition, including works incorporating salvaged window grates, quilted lettering, and references to local businesses. One particular favorite was his It’s-It piece, referencing the iconic San Francisco ice cream company. Knowing Sincich’s appreciation for It’s-It and his strong connection to the city made this one especially enjoyable to see in person. His ability to transform familiar signage and everyday objects into such thoughtfully crafted works is something we’ve always appreciated.

San Rafael-based artist Tucker Nichols, who curated In Other Words, contributed several works to the exhibition, including a fascinating installation of mail art collected over the past 30 years. Featuring drawings, sketches, paintings, and other small works sent to him by more than 100 artists, the collection offers a unique look at the personal exchange of art through the mail. We really enjoyed spending time with this installation, recognizing works from several artists we’ve followed and admired over the years. There’s something especially cool about seeing such a personal collection brought together in one space, highlighting the relationships and creative exchanges that exist between artists.

The late Sacramento-based artist Nathan Cordero was also represented in In Other Words. Known for his use of found materials, hand-cut lettering, and text-based works, Cordero often incorporated humor, wit, and everyday observations into his practice. Several of his pieces were on display, including works featuring carved lettering on weathered wood, highlighting his ability to transform simple materials and familiar phrases into meaningful works of art.

Nate, as we knew him, was a dear acquaintance and supporter of Timeless Thrills during our earliest years as a brick-and-mortar space. He always had a great sense of humor and a wonderful outlook on life. We were genuinely moved to hear his work was included in the exhibition. Seeing it in person was a special part of our visit. The 'Stay Awhile' piece brought back memories for sure.  

San Francisco-based artist Xylor Jane is known for her colorful, geometric paintings that explore patterns, numerical systems, and repetition. Her meticulous approach often involves arranging thousands of individually painted marks into complex compositions influenced by mathematics and personal systems of organization. The two works we documented showcase her incredible attention to detail, from overlapping geometric shapes in vibrant shades of pink, purple, and blue to an intricate grid of colorful dots and numerical patterns. Her work offers an interesting perspective on how numbers and symbols can function as their own visual language.

Los Angeles-based artist Ed Ruscha is one of the most influential figures in contemporary American art, widely recognized for his use of words, typography, and imagery drawn from everyday life. For more than six decades, Ruscha has explored the relationship between language and visual art through painting, drawing, photography, and printmaking. Featured in the exhibition is his work Evil (1973), a striking composition featuring the word in bold black lettering against a deep red background. Ruscha’s ability to transform a single word into a powerful visual statement makes this piece a fitting addition to In Other Words.

The museum also featured a mini pop-up shop from San Francisco’s Park Life, which was a really cool addition to the exhibition. The shop offered a great selection of Park Life merchandise, books by curator Tucker Nichols, and other artist-related goods. One particular standout was a Roses T-shirt designed by Jeffrey Sincich, whose work we highlighted earlier. It was great to see Park Life represented within the museum, bringing a little piece of San Francisco’s independent art and retail community into the exhibition.

We really enjoyed our visit to MarinMOCA and were impressed by both the exhibition and the museum itself. The hospitality of the staff member who welcomed us made the experience even better, and we appreciated the opportunity to explore such a great collection of work in a beautiful space. It was also the perfect reason to spend some time in San Rafael, a charming little city with plenty of character. We’re grateful for the experience and look forward to visiting MarinMOCA again in the future.